Takari: Candy Canes & Shopping Bags
by Lilac Lenalee
Summary: A Takari holiday oneshot. T.K. decides to go Christmas shopping with Kari, and finds out just how strenuous it can be...


A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to wish you all a totally shamazing Christmas, and I hope Santa was kind to you ^_^ This is my holiday Takari oneshot, so please enjoy, I know it's a little rough around the edges (seeing as I was interrupted about 2 million times to help clean for relatives coming over, ugh!), but I actually kinda like it, seriously. Special shout outs to _Light-of-Hope-07, Nicolasmandias _(I added a kiss this time!)_, Playmymusic, Dr. William Bell, Ris Fallon, Stealth Photographer, _and everyone else who faved my very first Takari story (sorry I couldn't name you personally, but I couldn't find out how to look at the peeps who faved it), I seriously appreciate the feedback so much, it's what keeps me writing people. So best of wishes to you all!

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"Would you like a candy cane?"

T.K. stared at the stripy treat wrapped in plastic. The employee beckoned for him to take it, a toothy smile smeared across her face that suggested she had already had her fair share of candy. With a dainty little grin T.K. clasped the candy cane in his mittened hand.

The teenage DigiDestined wasn't exactly sure what had hypnotized him into coming Christmas shopping with Kari. He had been warned countless times by Matt and even his dad that taking a woman shopping was pretty much like kissing your year's savings goodbye. But just the thought of seeing Kari all bundled up in her pretty pink trench coat and knee high winter boots was enough to make T.K. feel a little fuzzy inside. Plus, he would gain bragging rights against Davis.

"You coming?" Kari interrupted his fantasy, her gloved hands placed firmly on her hips. With a jerky nod T.K. strode to catch up with her, utterly amazed at how fast girls could walk when suddenly surrounded by department stores.

"Thanks for coming, T.K.," Kari spoke in her sugary sweet voice. "Most of the time no one likes to come shopping with me. Tai goes out of his way not to."

T.K. couldn't help but wonder if Kari had inherited the shopaholic gene, the gene that contaminated almost every girls' blood. "Well, it's not Christmas without a little shopping, right?"

Kari's hair bounced as she giggled in agreement, but the giddy moment was brought to a standstill as a large makeup store dawned before the two shoppers. Massive pillars accessorized with thick black stripes outlined the entrance, and herds of mad Christmas shoppers migrated in and out. T.K. felt like he had just dry swallowed a pill; him and makeup were not the most compatible mix.

"Judging by your expression you've never been in Sephora before, have you?" Kari questioned with a nervous giggle. She latched onto T.K.'s arm, causing him to forget everything he was just thinking. "I'll be as quick as I can, I promise."

With a yank T.K. was thrown into the biggest nightmare of his life; all around him girls were avidly applying lip gloss and batting their eyelashes in mirrors, not to mention talking in a language he could not comprehend in the slightest. The intoxicating aroma of fifty different perfumes stung his senses, and before he could take a breath Kari had vanished from his side.

Everywhere T.K. turned he came face to face with towering shelves of makeup. He felt as lost and helpless as a toddler separated from his mother, desperately scanning the mecca of women for the familiar bob of chocolate brown hair he knew belonged to Kari. But just as he detected her pretty face, an overly eager employee bounced into his vision.

"Can I help you?" she chimed, her overly painted face crinkling with every word she uttered. T.K. was too stunned to reply.

"Oh I get it, you're shopping for your girlfriend! Well, don't you worry baby face 'cause I got the perfect present for her—"

"Whoa, wha, _girlfriend_?" T.K. felt his face burn with embarrassment, but before he could correct the lady a warm arm slipped through his.

"A little lost?"

Her sweet little words made T.K. tingle with relief. With a knowing roll of the eyes Kari led T.K. out of the makeup mosh pit with astounding ease, both of them aware of what the other one was thinking. T.K. turned to face Kari, about to put his thoughts to words when she suddenly shoved the Sephora bag into his upturned hands, its handle quickly finding a nice resting spot on his wrist. Before T.K. could even object her sparkling cocoa eyes melted his thoughts into a puddle of muck.

"Okay, let's see here . . ." Kari had begun to unravel a folded piece of paper, and she eyed it thoughtfully. With barely enough time to recuperate she had spun on her heel and strutted forward at an astonishing speed. T.K. suddenly felt like he was following a shopping hungry cheetah.

"Oh . . .my . . . god!" Kari's alarmed squeal made T.K. come to an automatic stop. Before he could even distinguish his surroundings he was being dragged towards another huge department store, it's showcase windows filled with blinking lights and rotating Christmas ornaments sparkling in every shade of pink known to mankind.

"Can you believe it?" Kari gushed, her whole face lit up like a strand of Christmas lights.

"Believe what?"

"Believe that the new Juicy Couture store actually opened before Christmas?" the sentence escaped her mouth in less then a second.

T.K. was left eating Kari's sweet smelling dust within two seconds of her fangirl attack; he had officially been ditched for the likes of a store with the word 'Juicy' in it. Blindly he backed up and slumped onto a bench, his mind a flustered flurry. At least he hadn't been forced to endure the crocodile pit of all things pink and velvety.

He'd barely been able to collect himself before Kari came skipping back out of the store's fluffy pink depths, and she thrusted a bubblegum pink shopping bag into his arms with a witty little smile. Her adorable expression instantly sent T.K. into a snowstorm of lust, and before his brain could even decipher what he was doing his legs were off following Kari.

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"It'll only take a second, I swear!"

T.K. didn't even bother producing a response as he watched Kari get eaten alive by the swirling snowstorm of shoppers in the store before them, her pleated red skirt frolicking around her thighs merrily. He let out a dreamy sigh, blonde locks of hair waltzing lazily above his forehead. He could feel the pointy ends of bags jabbing him in the leg, and his arms officially felt like soggy Christmas pudding after behaving like living coat hangers for more then twenty shopping bags. But Kari was so darn cute, all snuggled up in her winter coat and flouncing around like a snowflake caught in the breeze. Just a few more bags wouldn't cut off his arm circulation completely—

"Candy cane?" a lady dressed in a fuzzy red suit asked, a basket filled with rainbow colored candy canes firmly linked to her arm.

T.K. stared at her as if she'd asked him to shovel the entire mall parking lot. "Sure, why not."

The bags clashed like wind chimes as he reached for the curvy treat. He was starting to have quite the collection of multi-colored candy canes.

Just then Kari surfaced from the store's lethal depths, her arms clad in three gigantic shopping bags. T.K. groaned inwardly, his arms already shaking at the mere thought of having three more five ton bags strung on them.

"Just one more stop and then I'm all done!" Kari greeted cheerfully as she strategically emptied her shopping cargo onto T.K.'s helpless arms. Somehow she still managed to pull out a smile from deep within his aching body.

Springing into action like a firecracker, Kari's legs began to propel her petite frame at a shopping speed like no other. T.K. flailed a bit before his legs started to move, frantically chasing down the pink-coated girl with the last reserves of his greatly depleted energy supply. He felt like he was sitting in a car, watching store after store zoom by and meld colors with the next one as he gained speed.

Completely devoted to walking at maximum speed, he didn't even realize that Kari had come to an abrupt standstill, resulting in him crashing right into her unprotected body.

"Er, sorry," T.K. murmured apologetically, shopping bags now surrounding him like a halo of colorful cardboard. But he wasn't even sure if Kari had heard him, or even felt the impact, because she was staring with dazzlingly wide eyes at the display window before her, mouth opening and closing in unaware awe.

"Do you . . . do you see that, T.K.?" her voice shook with a potent yearning, eyes sparkling like spherical diamond pendants. T.K. looked at the display window, not knowing what to expect, and found himself eyeing a beautiful mini black dress. Inky lace blanketed a skin colored layer, and tiny jewel teardrops rested on the outfit in an asymmetrical fashion. It was no doubt a jaw-dropper.

"Must . . . have . . ." Kari was uttering words as if under a trance, and, with surprising force, T.K. was heaved into the store's interior by the spell-bound girl. He was instantly left to fend for himself as Kari urgently searched for an employee.

Feeling like an isolated island amidst a sea of materialistic women, T.K. suddenly began to realize the truth in his brother's warning: he officially could not feel his arms. He scanned the vicinity aimlessly, his eyes falling upon an ecstatic Kari holding the same dress he had seen in the display window. Without exactly knowing why he walked with her to the change rooms, a sudden desire to see the dress on an attractive girl overriding all mannerisms of decency.

He watched the rich velvet curtains slink close, body tingling with wild anticipation and achy despair. Tiny grunts radiated from the enclosed change room, and within moments a flushed Kari came toppling out, the curtains swishing spazzily around her. In a snap she regained her composure and struck a model-esque pose before the nearest mirror.

T.K. tried not to stare. He already knew the dress would look stunning on Kari, but he hadn't expected it to accentuate her curves so definitively and make her look like some kind of super model. In fact, he hadn't the slightest clue that clothes could even perform such makeover miracles. Unable to control his hormonal desires any longer, T.K. let his eyes tour up and down Kari's dressed up body.

"Do you like it?" she swooned as she spun around and admired her figure in the mirror. Now T.K. had a perfect view of the lace up back that extended all the way down to Kari's waist. He stumbled slightly.

"It looks . . . stunning," T.K. stammered. He felt like he was walking across thin ice; girls could turn any compliment into toxic words. But Kari simply giggled, her sweet little smile making her look like a gothic fairy princess.

Sooner then T.K. would've liked she re-entered the change room, joyous humming emanating from its interior. Awkwardly he shifted the bags along his arms, deep red gouges tattooing them like multiple wristbands. The curtains' metal loops chinked shrilly against each other as Kari came out, the dress dangling from her arm limply. Her face sparkled like a fresh blanket of snow beneath the stars as she strutted her way towards the check-out, and T.K. followed her obediently. He was still imagining Kari in that oh so attractive dress . . .

"That'll be ¥30,505.00, please."

Kari rummaged through her pink leather wallet with fitful movements, a small frown creasing her porcelain complexion. T.K. had no idea how she could even think of purchasing such an expensive article of clothing; the most he had ever spent on himself was about a quarter of that price, and even that had made him gag. He felt his own tiny wallet sitting in his coat pocket like a miniature weight.

Unconsciously his hand began to levitate towards it, causing the chorus of shopping bags to sing erratically as they slammed into each other. His fingers brushed against the wallet's cloth skin.

Just as Kari was handing over a wad of crinkly cash T.K. slapped his wallet onto the counter. He noticed Kari staring at him, her mouth hanging open in surprised confusion. Suddenly the room grew hot. "I'll buy it, Kari."

With stunned silence T.K. watched as his debit card was swiped enthusiastically through the card terminal, the overly cheerful Christmas music in the background somehow deepening his realization of how much he was spending. Some spiked eggnog would have been nice right then.

With the generic exchange of seasonal thanks the now broke T.K. took the bag and exited the store, completely dazed. His senses didn't recuperate from their shock until he felt a pair of warm arms twine around his waist. He looked down at a beaming Kari.

"T.K., I honestly can't tell you how grateful I am," Kari whispered, her hazel eyes watering with gratitude. "Thank you so much."

The words escaped her lips so gently, with such tender diction, that the two shopping companions felt themselves subconsciously lean towards each other with a longing readiness. Kari's eyes fluttered close, her eyelashes resting peacefully on her face as T.K. let his eyes slowly close as well, and a sudden wave of heat tremulated along his body. But just as T.K. felt Kari's warm breath caress his lips, a prodding poke on his back interrupted the moment.

T.K. spun around, thoroughly pissed, and came face to face with the employee who had bagged his most recent purchase. "Uh, you forgot to take back your debit card, sir."

T.K. mentally slapped himself. Very rarely did he ever use the crappy piece of plastic, and of course the one time he does it comes back to bite him in the ass. How convenient.

With an agitated grumble T.K. snatched the card back into his possession, and realized the lady had also given him a candy cane with it. Great, yet another one to add to his rapidly growing collection.

His thoughts were dragged back into the previous moment of bliss when Kari tugged at his coat sleeve. He could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"I think I'm done shopping now, T.K.."

His arms seemed to scream with joy at the thought of being released from their tiresome slave duty, but another half of T.K. was actually somewhat upset that his time with Kari was coming to an end. With silent consent they linked arms and trudged their way, bags and all, towards the bustling mall exit. As the sharp winter air greeted them with an icy hiss, Kari let out a shriek of excitement.

"T.K., it's snowing!"

She ran forward breathlessly, arms poised behind her like a ballerina, and gave a blissful twirl that sent her skirt pirouetting gracefully. T.K. trudged through the cold white fluff with a little less enthusiasm, bags still dangling at his side. Kari looked so cute when she was happy.

"Hey, T.K.?"

T.K. looked directly into Kari's eyes as she scuffed her way closer to him. "I can pay you back if you want, cause you know, I really don't want to make you bankrupt just before Christmas and you really didn't have to blow all your money on me cause I'm really not worth it—"

Without thinking T.K. leaned forward and kissed her. It was sudden and rather jerky, and he could feel the bags protesting at his side, but no way in hell was he going to part lips with her now. The snow was falling gently around them as the moment inched by, giving one the feeling of being trapped in a giant snow globe. All weight had been lifted from his arms as Kari delicately kissed back, her arms trying their hardest to find his body through the jungle of shopping bags lifelessly hanging at his side. It was at that moment when T.K. decided that maybe shopping with Kari wasn't such a bad idea after all.

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A/N: So as always reviews and faves are GREATLY appreciated, I always get so nervous when I put out my writing, so I really hope you approved. And by the way, here's the picture drawn by missukeman from DeviantART that inspired this entire story, so go check it out it's just too cute for words ^_^

.com/art/Takari-x-mas-shopping-colored-147758465


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